reserve

1. The act of reserving or keeping back; reservation; exception. (countable, uncountable) · The book is on reserve.· I accept your view with one reserve.
2. Restraint of freedom in words or actions; backwardness; caution in personal behavior. (countable, uncountable)
3. A natural resource known to exist but not currently exploited. (countable, uncountable) · New oil reserves are continuously being discovered, but not as fast as the existing ones are running out.
4. A tract of land reserved, or set apart, for a particular purpose (countable, uncountable) · the Connecticut Reserve in Ohio was originally set apart for the school fund of Connecticut.· the Clergy Reserves in Canada are for the support of the clergy.
5. A tract of land set apart for the use of an Aboriginal group: Indian reserve. (countable, uncountable)
6. A body of troops kept in the rear of an army drawn up for battle, reserved to support the other lines as occasion may require; a force or body of troops kept for an exigency. (countable, uncountable) · no reserves [the military force is throwing everything it has at the front]
7. Funds kept on hand to meet planned or unplanned financial requirements. (countable, uncountable)
8. A reserve price in an auction. (countable, uncountable) · no reserve [the lot(s) will be sold no matter how low the bids are]· reserve not met [the lot(s) will not be sold because the highest bid was too low to be acceptable]

Plural reserves